


(blindly) loving you.

by DancingTitans



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humour, M/M, Reincarnation AU, Some angst, attack on titan - Freeform, blind dates, ereri, ereri fluff, riren fluff, riren smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 19:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10974054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancingTitans/pseuds/DancingTitans
Summary: Eren tries to move on from Levi.It doesn't work.Or: the reincarnation au where Eren's friends are sneaky shits and set a clueless Eren up on a blind date with Levi and all hell ensues.





	(blindly) loving you.

Apparently it was all Jean’s idea.

_That fucking horse_

Or so he had heard from Petra, who had supposedly heard from Armin because Hanji had told him. But either way Eren was being forced on a blind date and his pride was way too large to just agree to it.

“What makes you think I want to go on a date anyway?! I’ll have you know, the single life is _great_ ,” he heard himself exclaim trying to seem as nonchalant as possible but something told him (probably the withering look they all gave him) that he didn’t exactly manage to pull it off. There was no harm in trying? 

He shot Armin an annoyed look that spoke a million words of pure exasperation and was met with glimmering blue eyes pleading for him to agree for once. He was almost offended that Armin thought so little of his stubborn ass, the fact that he’d even _consider_ that his puppy eyes could do _anything_ to sway Eren’s mind was absolutely ridiculous. 

The puppy eyes seemed to intensify.

But as annoying as it seemed to his friends, it was the truth, he simply did not want to go, and they could all shove it up their respective genitals. Ever since Eren had started remembering, he had never even wanted to look at any other man or woman ever again. Since the age of seventeen he had vowed to find everyone from back then and he was almost there, except there was a certain someone who even now never failed to make his heart beat loudly in his chest, which he could not find. Even now the thought of raven hair and that perpetually grumpy face had him reeling and the idea of a blind date seemed absolutely stupid in the face of the man he had yet to find.

So far he had looked just about everywhere around his area considering everyone else had proved to live relatively close by, so he assumed Levi would too, but to no avail as all he managed to get were a series of strange glances from passer-by’s when he bounded towards anyone with short black hair. He had even checked online, but he knew it would be a futile attempt, as if Levi would even contemplate the idea of social media. As much as he wanted to look elsewhere, possibly even abroad, he was a student barely scraping by on loans and cup noodles. Of course the little fucker would do everything and anything to make Eren’s life hard.

Not a day went by where he didn’t remember his smile, and although rare, it was worth everything when he finally got to see it, and he remembered the first time he did.

\--

_Training had always been a favourite pastime of Eren’s, but training with Squad Levi? Hell no. It was filled to the brim with literal shit jokes (if you could call them that), Auruo’s never-ending cockiness and immense amounts of serious competition. As soon as the squad had heard of Eren’s top ranking in hand to hand combat, back when he was training with the 104th, they had not failed to make sure he duelled with someone new every session._

_This week was different however because he had fought everyone in the squad: Auruo first which led to a lot of blood (more so due to him repeatedly biting his tongue rather than the actual fight). Eld fought next, and they both ended in Eren’s prideful victory. Petra after, which she won due to Eren’s hesitance at fighting a girl, after seeing what Mikasa and Annie could do he was terrified and lost anyway. And lastly came Gunther who Eren had also lost against, so two great wins and two reluctant losses and he was wondering what could come as of today, as he had fought everyone except-_

_Wait._

_Eren stopped in his tracks in front of the squad who were standing in the training grounds smirking knowingly as if they could read exactly what was going through Eren’s mind at that exact moment. He had fought everyone. Everyone besides-_

_Corporal Levi._

_His eyes widened comically as he approached the squad who did nothing to hide their amused grins and chuckles, only moving to let Eren in on the view which had him almost fainting then and there. It was the corporal shucking off his jacket and wrapping bands around his knuckles, and never did he think he would ever be so aroused as quickly as he was at that moment in his life. Levi looked up to see Eren staring, unknowingly? He really wasn’t sure at this point, but entertain the idea he definitely did, flashing Eren a smile, pearly fucking teeth and all with a glint in his eye revelling in the way Eren’s pupils visibly dilated and he gasped so hard he choked on air. Chuckling he walked past him to the combat grounds, patting him on the shoulder, wide eyes following his every move._

_Needless to say, Eren had lost that battle._

\--

When Mikasa had approached him at first to propose the idea of a blind date he almost doubled over laughing, how the hell could he sit there face to face with some complete stranger, when on his mind would be another man from a different life with grey eyes and thin brows, undercuts and bored faces, deep morning voices he couldn’t quite remember and _god_ , there was no way he was going to go through with this.

“Mikasa, I already told you there is no way I’m going on that date! What if the guy turns out to be a serial killer and I die?! Then it would be all your fault and I would end up saying ‘I told you so’ when I look down at you guys from heaven,” Eren complained, breathing deeply because, wow, that was a mouthful.

“Eren don’t be stupid,” Mikasa started and he opened his mouth immediately to counter anything she was about to say, but she continued relentlessly, “there’s no way you’re going to heaven you fool,” she said while his jaw slacked and he looked at her in utter shock while his friends erupted in laughter behind him. A series of ‘ _ooh’s_ and ‘ _burnn_ ’ were heard but Eren paid no attention to them, trying to seem casual while his brain worked furiously to come up with a comeback. He could almost feel the steam coming out of his ears.

“No but Eren seriously, you haven’t gone on a date in about four years and who knows when you’ll find Levi, it won’t hurt for you to give this a shot really,” Armin cut in, levelling him with an almost motherly glare as Eren frowned. Although the words made sense it just seemed stupid to try and find love when it was waiting to be discovered somewhere he knew it would be reciprocated. Or well he hoped. To be honest he didn’t even know if Levi remembered at all, when he had found Petra she hadn’t remembered anything and it took a lot of time before she did. Eren visibly tensed at the thought and it seemed Armin had seen, as he came over and rested a small hand on his shoulder. Looking up at his face Eren once again realised how different everyone was in this life, Armin had long blonde hair which was tied into a messy ponytail at the bottom of his head, his blue eyes framed by a pair of gorgeous horn-rimmed glasses and he was much taller than he once was. Turning to look at Mikasa he took in the differences in her too, she was dressed in a massive oversized jumper, her usual red scarf tied around her neck, with a dark red lipstick on and she looked beautiful. Unlike the other two Eren himself had not changed much, with his hair still an unkempt mess and his eyes a stunning Caribbean blue, granted his physique was a bit broader considering in this world he had had time to grow before having to undergo training as such and years of swimming had made him lean. He had come to love the ocean more than anything, in fact the water in general was his favourite, allowing him to glide through it, cutting his own way and contorting the water to his body, the waves moulding around him. He looked back down, eyes threatening to tear up with the force of his thoughts. He heard the others retreat leaving Eren alone with Mikasa and Armin.

“Eren... listen, I know you’re waiting for him but until then? What if you never do? Just for now, give this a shot,” Armin said gently, and with a shaky breath Eren met his eyes and nodded slightly. There was no harm done by a simple date, this was a new life for a reason and there was no saying Eren was even meant to fall in love with Levi in this world.

But the thought itself made his heart shatter ever so slowly.

\--

_Eren awoke with a start, snapping out of a dream he already couldn’t remember, eyes blurred slightly and head still groggy. He was so comfortable._

_Why the fuck was he comfortable._

_Suddenly his eyes weren’t blurry anymore as he took in his surroundings while he tried to break free of the weight that was holding him down. He looked down and his sight was met with dark messy hair and recognition as well as mild relief passed through his body as he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and relaxed upon the oh so comfortable bed once more. He pulled the shorter man closer to his chest gently and focused on the beat of Levi’s heart on his chest, no restrictions and no barriers; just skin on skin, as if it was meant to be like this since the beginning of time itself. A stupid grin slowly made its way onto Eren’s face and that was the sight Levi woke up to, sunlight filtering in through the curtains highlighting golden skin perfectly and a dumb grin with a side of really cute rosy cheeks. But God forbid he ever admit to calling Eren cute. So instead he reached up and kissed his jaw, just slightly, like a graze of lips on skin and yet it had Eren’s skin burning._

_“Good morning,” Eren murmured, carding his fingers through Levi’s hair, he watched Levi’s mouth open up to reply-_

Eren woke up with a start, groaning instinctually as the sound of his alarm infiltrated his mind and his dream was once again ruined. He had been having the same dream over and over again recently but every time it was cut off right before Levi replied. It was as if the universe was playing a practical fucking joke on him, giving him this scene but depriving him of just that beautiful detail that would make it whole. It actually gave him hope the first couple times he started having the dream, thinking it was a sign he was about to find Levi but after about a month he slumped in defeat every time he thought anything more of it.

Nevertheless as he rose from his bed he, for the first time, wished for the day to go as slow as possible; today was the day of the fucking blind date and honestly it was the last thing he wanted to go to. The only reason he agreed to go being Mikasa and Armin’s constant insistence. He was half expecting to go on the date and for it to be a massive joke with a clown or something, but he clung onto the little faith he had placed on his friends to not publically humiliate him further than they already had. He sluggishly shrugged on a casual outfit and went through his morning routine trying to concentrate on something other than the looming evening he had planned, which was making him way more nervous than was physically healthy. Although Hanji had personally assured him that they knew the guy quite well, Eren couldn’t help but be a bit worried. For one Hanji was a fucking lunatic. They had a tendency to attract what you may call the weirdos, you know, the ones who pour the milk before the cereal? Yeah those guys. So, a blind date set up initially by Hanji- it made him very apprehensive to say the least. Plus first dates were fucking scary so there was that. But first he had to go to class, which didn’t really raise his mood in any way shape or form.

He quickly decided going on his phone would be the worst possible idea considering he would just be bombarded with texts reminding him about the date later on so he figured leaving for uni early really wouldn’t do him any harm. So he grabbed his keys and money for coffee on the way and headed out.

Walking towards the cafe near campus without his phone for company allowed his head to clear and for his thoughts to completely take over, he took in the slightly breezy weather while walking through the mildly busy streets, staring at anything his eyes became attached to. He turned a corner while he thought about why the fuck he decided morning classes would be a good idea and was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts as a figure crashed into him. It was so sudden and he lost balance and fell back on to his ass abruptly in the middle of the street. He craned his head ready to fume at whoever had ran into him, but as he turned around all he caught was a flash of black hair and black clothes before they disappeared into the crowd, he shot up while his heart almost stopped, forgetting the fact that people around him were staring at him and asking stupid questions like ‘are you okay’. Forgetting all mannerisms, he ran after the figure he saw and tried desperately to catch another glimpse of that hair, he spun wildly in place, his eyes blazing with a desperation he hadn’t felt in a while. People were now staring and he wanted to scream, he was so _close_ , he could’ve caught his wrist and it might have been him. It could have been him, and now he was gone. Moving out of the pathway of the crowd he slumped over in a nearby bench, burying his face in his hands as tears threatened to make their uncalled-for appearance. He didn’t even know what he wanted from Levi once he found him-

Actually scrap that entire train of thought, because he knew exactly what the fuck he wanted, he always did. He wanted to be the bigger spoon this time round, and hold Levi like he had always been held, he wanted to see what had changed about him, was he taller? Did he still have that bored expression on his face all the time? God he hoped so. He wanted to shower him with love in public which he was never able to do before, he wanted to wake him up to long kisses and sneaky hands and hear his grumbles about morning breath when Eren knew he didn’t really mind at all. He wanted to earn smiles and thread his hands through his hair and love him so much it hurt, he wanted to feel because he knew he hadn’t yet and it was driving him _crazy_. But his possibilities had just slipped away from the tips of his fingers and gotten lost in the crowd.

So he sat there with his head in his hands, thinking of another man from a different life with grey eyes and thin brows, undercuts and bored faces, deep morning voices he couldn’t quite remember at all anymore, but this time he thought with no hope.

\--

Getting ready for blind dates were the most confusing thing, what the hell would be appropriate to wear for a blind date? They were meeting at a diner, the mystery man had recommended it and according to Hanji (once again no trust with this opinion) it was one of the best places to eat. So at first he had just thought of going casual with sneakers and the whole student vibe practically radiating off of him. But as he stared blankly into his now completely wrecked wardrobe, he found absolutely nothing that seemed appealing whatsoever.

So he called Armin.

Which in retrospect seemed like a good idea to be honest, his most fashion-forward male friend whom he admired oh so much, but when the fucker had burst out in hysterics as soon as Eren had uttered the words ‘help’ and ‘what to wear’ he had deemed it the worst idea he could have possibly thought of.

So he hung up.

Realising the world was cruel and he could only rely on himself was the conclusion he came to as he checked his phone and found only eight minutes before he had to leave for the date, if he wanted to make it on time. So he made up his mind and pulled on an outfit he knew he looked good in, as well as brushing his hands through his hair to make it look like he had purposefully made it messy, rather than it just being a rat’s nest and grabbed his keys, money and phone as he headed out.

Google maps had said the diner was about twenty minutes from his place, if you walked at a steady pace. But it had been ages and his phone still said that there was a whole other thirteen minutes to go before he would reach his destination. He knew he was going the right way, his sense of direction being good in this life too, even if he did unconsciously keep checking his phone, so he picked up the pace slightly and took deep breaths to calm his nervous heart.

\--

It was inevitable that he was going to be late, but even so as he came into view of the diner he walked faster until he was at an almost jog towards it. The diner was pretty, he had to give it that. It was an impeccable reincarnation of something out of an old American romance movie that Jean would probably love to secretly watch, it had everything, what with the neon signs and the glass walls, and he could vividly imagine the leather-clad bikers that would have once hung out there. He checked his phone and found that he was about ten minutes late and he desperately hoped that his date wasn’t stuck up about punctuality. Speaking of whom, Hanji had told him that she’d given a picture of Eren to the guy so that he would recognise him when he walked in, but Eren had no idea how he looked and he hoped he wouldn’t have to stand awkwardly by the door until someone saw him. As he looked through the window he found that the entire diner was close to empty, there were waiters milling around and the few customers that were there were already getting up to leave, and if it weren’t for the twenty-four hour sign that hung brightly on the wall he would have assumed it was closing. He walked in and was immediately engulfed by the scent of food filling his nostrils and the sound of old jazz music filling his ears, the old man at the counter, presumably the owner, greeted him with surprising enthusiasm and he smiled awkwardly as he moved out of the way of the family that were leaving the diner. He stood nervously near the counter with his hands shoved in his pockets, tightly gripping his phone in case his date had already left and he needed to go home. He looked around to see if anyone caught his eye when he heard a crash behind him, followed by a stream of curse words spoken by a deep voice. His ears perked up and he spun around-

And time stopped.

It all happened in slow motion. The way he picked up the chair and shook his bangs back in place. The way he looked up and their eyes locked. All of his senses had heightened and he felt like he was seeing the rain for the first time, emotion after emotion came crashing down until all that was left were their eyes, locked for what was probably seconds but felt like years of desperation and finally-

“You’re late brat,” he heard, but through the blood rushing in his ears he wasn’t sure if he had imagined the crack of his voice on the words or if they were real. Either way they were all it took for Eren’s resolve to come crashing down and send him flying across the few spaces which separated them to crash into the open arms of the man he had waited for all his life. Because he was there and he was holding him and the reality of it was all too much but so good at the same time. It was just them, no diner, no neon lights and nothing holding them back, fuck the universe for making him wait this long but he would go through it all over again if this is how it would feel in the end. It was like he was swimming and he had just come up for air, the feeling was indescribable and it took all he had not to break down then and there.

“You’re here,” he whispered into the crook of his neck like a mantra, over and over again until it would sink in which seemed like never in this moment. He felt Levi pull back slightly and then he was looking into those eyes which he had only barely seen in his dreams, they were teary and yet filled with an uncontained happiness. Eren’s own eyes raked over Levi’s face, absorbing every detail and every change, he saw that his eye bags were almost non-existent and the premature frown lines were gone, leaving beautiful skin, blemished here and there with acne scars and it was so human he almost cried. His thin lips were pulled up in a soft smile that was filled with absolute adoration it hurt, and he didn’t think twice before cupping his face and leaning in for a kiss he had anticipated as soon as he had started remembering. And it was all worth it, the sleepless nights and the fruitless pining, looking for him everywhere and anywhere until he broke down, it was all worth it. Their lips moulded together as if they had never been apart and his hands automatically threaded through Levi’s hair, it was as soft as he remembered it. They broke apart after a while, panting and foreheads together as Levi pressed chaste kisses on his lips every now and then, unable to stay away from everything he had ever wanted.

“I’m here,” he mumbled against Eren’s lips and he interlocked their hands as he pulled away for real this time. They were both grinning and Eren was giddy as he pulled them to sit down at the nearest table.

“Hey,” Eren said, squeezing his hand as he rested his head on his free palm, staring up at Levi. And then it was bliss.

\--

It had been about three months since the blind date and around a month since Eren and Levi had been together. Eren had screamed, lovingly of course, at all of his friends for watching him suffer and coming up with that ridiculous blind date idea to get them to meet, but he knew just as well as everyone else did how he would be eternally grateful and never forget it.

Now Eren woke up sometimes to raven hair and kisses, grumbles about morning breath that he knew he really didn’t mind, sometimes he woke up to lust filled eyes so hungry and desperate it had him reeling before he could even blink. Either one was enough to keep him giddy for the rest of the day and looking forward to the end when he could come home back to the years of love waiting for him. Sometimes he would come home to find Levi dancing in the kitchen and humming slightly to an old vinyl while making dinner and he would stand by the doorframe wondering how the hell he managed to survive at all without this. Sometimes he would come home angry and frustrated, university was not easy and yet as soon as he melted into Levi’s arms every worry faded away to the back of his mind, pushed out to prioritise the deep voice singing praises in his ear and the soft touches he leaned into every time.

Worlds were different this time around, they could kiss and hold hands in public without the fear of sudden loss, they could sleep in and eat whatever they wanted. They could take long showers together and stay curled up on the sofa till it got dark, but not everything was so easy.

And yet Eren loved it all.

He loved being woken up suddenly because of a nightmare Levi was having about a life they had left years ago, and as painful as it was to watch a man so beautiful so scared, he loved being able to be there for him, and hold him till he fell asleep again. He didn’t love the arguments they sometimes got in, but he loved when they eventually crawled back to each other murmuring soft apologies and being met with kisses of ‘it’s okay’. It was all he was waiting for and fuck it was all worth it.

The first time they said ‘I love you’ was whispered in between the sheets, mixed with moans and heavy breathing, Eren almost didn’t hear it over the sound of his heart but Levi was now repeating it like it was all he could say and Eren was a sobbing mess when he finally got the release he was craving for. He spent that night repeating it just as many times before Levi went to sleep with a smile plastered on his face and Eren’s kisses burning on his skin.

One night they were all together, all of them, ‘the ultimate squad’ as Hanji liked to call them, with cans of beer and old memories littering the place with a sense of familiarity Eren knew he wouldn’t get anywhere else. While Eren and Levi curled up on the couch, the rest of the group had gone to the kitchen to refill their drinks and Levi couldn’t help but chuckle slightly, border lining on giggle as their laughs faded away.

“What’s so funny?” Eren questioned, smiling softly himself as his hand lifted up to play with the hairs at the nape of his undercut.

“Nothing really, I just... I missed this a lot,” Levi replied placing his own hand on top of the one on his head and bringing it down while interlocking their fingers. Eren smiled widely, dimples on show and cheeks tinting a beautiful pink whether it be from the alcohol or Levi’s actions he didn’t know and really didn’t care. Either way Levi was smiling down at him as if he was something else and the blatant fondness in his eyes was something he treasured, Levi was more open in this life, he had told Eren once that he regretted not being able to appreciate him more back then and so he was making up for it now and _damn_ was he doing a good job of it. He kept leaving Eren flustered and wrecked at every opportunity, and this time being no different. He leaned up to peck Levi’s wine-stained lips once, twice and a third time, lingering just a bit longer on the last one and pulled back to rest his head in the crook of his neck sighing deeply and contentedly as their friends came bounding back into the room, bringing with them shouts and exclamations of laughter. And Eren just watched, he watched how the room lit up with Levi’s smiles and how it erupted when he laughed while he silently prayed, to whatever being was possibly watching over them to never let this life end.

**Author's Note:**

> Eren eventually throws away his pride and lands Jean a date with Mikasa to thank him and no he didn't hide at the back of the restaurant watching them the entire night because Jean is a creep. Of course not. 
> 
> Thank you sososo much for reading! If you liked this please go check out my other oneshot 'Ignite Me' which is basically just plotless, self indulgent smut. Hope you like it!
> 
> Kudos and comments are massively appreciated :)


End file.
